To Love, Like, & Loath
by Desenchanter
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles centered around Inuyasha and Kagome. A variety of ratings and genres. New: Worth It All. It had always been the simple things in life that earned her affections... Rating: K. Genre: Family.
1. Dauting Dreams: PG13

**Title**. _Daunting Dream_  
**Word length**. 684  
**Rating**. PG-13  
**Warning**: Mild-Violence  
**Prompt: **"Accident" for LJ iyfic_contest

* * *

_The end…_

It was predicted from the start, the night's breeze brushed upon the dread-filled damsel to whisper that the dreams—_nightmares_—didn't come to her for no reason. It would be her last season to see, to feel. Autumn air, fresh unlike the city smug she knew, not too cool, far from fiery, it was ideal.

The colors changed from green to orange, to yellow, to _red_—just like her dreams.

Scenes seeped into her shut lids, not a night went by without the red bathed battle. It was tedious, gruesome, and tortuous. Too many moonlit starry skied shifts went by without slumber, the cheer she was renowned for slipped away and all noticed—the slayer that was like a sister, the marvelous monk, the bouncy little fox-boy, but none as much a hot-headed hanyou that made it his point to pester her about it.

"What's gottin' into you?" He questioned with a cocked brow, "you look worn, at best."

"Jeez, thanks," she sighed as she brushed a loose somber strand out of her face.

"Kagome," he muttered cautiously, his golden globes glided over her a few times before he inquired, "is there something wrong?"

To that, she always shook her head. It was just a dream—how could it be anything more? She wanted it to be fiction so she willed any other notion away.

She pushed the nightmare out of her mind, forced it far away, it stopped coming each and every night to occasionally, to only sometimes, to near never…

It took a while but it worked, right the frigid frost began to take over as the group she adored traveled onward into their last battle, they just didn't know it yet.

Demons swarmed, a wind-tunnel tore open to tackle the problem, a bone-boomerang burst through bloody beasts to turn them to corpse, arrows swore threw the air to pierce many perils. A sword slip up between two hanyous—a slimy spider and a tricky dog—a fumble here and there, blood blasted everywhere, both wounded, both in danger of losing their lives… and without that strong sword in hot-headed hanyou's hand, his dormant demon blood awoke.

_Just like in her dreams_.

The power that pulsed through his veins tore apart the evil fiend they all loathed, killed him, but it also sparked madness within the conflicted man's mind. The jewel was what that part of him wanted, so he took it then turned his hazardous attention to the maiden from another era that held the only other fragments.

_Just like in her nightmares._

Stun swallowed her as he growled and tore through their friends that tried to defend her. Her hazel eyes were wide, her body rigid and stiff, her brows bent together as the smirking monster that wasn't the man she knew—or loved—but a part of himself that he hated. He flashed his fangs as he lifted his bloody claws to beckon for the jewel fragment she possessed.

_Just like in the daunting delusion_.

"Inuyasha," she whispered with a light shake of her head, "Inuyasha… it's me."

But he didn't know that, he couldn't tell, _he_ would never want to do what he did. _He_ never would hurt her, but the monster that ate away at him from within would. If only, if only, his sword had not been knocked away… it was a mistake what he did, how he marred her for the jewels.

It was her end, that she saw coming weeks—months even—ago but tried to believe otherwise, tried to think '_no, he'd never hurt me_', but he did… and whatever part of him agreed, whatever dormant hanyou part of him knew what he did in that maroon moment was wrong, buried itself deep down in himself to avoid the guilt that he'd surely face if he took over once more.

It'd rather be ravaging and red-eyed mad demon than sane and guilt-ridden so with the jewel the dominant demon in him willed full control so he would never face what he had done on that damned day… just as she had always worried.

* * *

**A/N**: I'll continue this collection with other unrelated drabbles/short-one shots related to Inu/Kag (variety of genres). Some may connect, but this one will most likely not be continued considering the fact that Kagome is dead. Also, I just like the way Love, like and Loath flowed. It really has nothing to do with anything.


	2. Doubt: PG

Prompt: Storm  
Community: http:// community . livejournal . com / firsttweak/  
Rating: PG (no warnings)  
Universe: Canon  
Words: 1,533  
Summary: Should she stay or should she go?

* * *

**.D**_oubt**.**_

A crashing crackle caused a cringe in the dismal damsel, her lids shut from the flickering flash that came about in unison. She shuffled her feet around and tightened her arms that were folded behind her back as she leaned against the wet, cold, rough bark of the tree that sheltered her from the onslaught of pouring rain. Occasionally the wind would whisk droplets to meet her exposed skin to make the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up.

_It's cold…_

Silence seeped into her frigid form, the sound of that which nature brought was all in the background, she barely even heard it once the thoughts trickled into her tattered and tortured psyche.

Nothing but a constant loop of the sick scene repeated in her muddled mind as she stood there, _alone_, far from the village were the others rested under a warm roof.

_Repeated_, continuously what had happened flashed behind her lids, just as the light did through the gray unrelenting sky. Her soul screamed for her to do something, as another thunderous cry cascaded about. But what could she do…?

One thing was certain, it wasn't his fault. It was _hers_.

Always… his gravest weakness, what every enemy had realized, was her. Find her, take her, harm her, and they could bend the brave boy to their whim—even a sheer threat could throw him off.

Frail little her, she could not deny it, perhaps she was not weak but she was not strong like him. Out of all of them, well the grown members, she was the weakest link. She could not plan and carry out assaults like her taijiya friend, she could not maneuver or brawl like her monk comrade, she could never compare to the strength that her hanyou held…

What could she do? Locate shards and shoot arrows? Purify pests? She was stronger than at the start, than so many others, but _not_ as strong as them… she had not trained her whole life for this one task but she'd be damned if she'd stop trying her very best.

It was just… her very best was not enough.

A terrible twinge stung her shut eyes as she freed a hand to press her fingers upon her lids. She tried… she tried so hard, would she always be a burden on him? Always cause him to falter? Cause him pain?

_Would it be better for him if I left? If I didn't trouble him with the task of protecting me?_ Flowed through her mind frequently while she squatted down to rest her forehead upon her knees and wrap her arms around them.

Maybe. Probably. Yes?

"Kagome?"

She stiffened for a moment before she lifted her face up to see the one she worried oh so much about stand just out of the reach of the tree's branches as he obviously leaned to one side instead of the other, more weight on one foot then he could place on the opposite.

"Inuyasha," she mumbled as she slowly stood up to step forward to the very edge of the dry spot, her wavering hazels watched him take a weak step towards her but her eyes were not on his odd expression but his gut that one of her arms covered—hiding the wound that was caused while protecting _her_… she was so scared, her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes wide when it had happened, when he did not move afterwards.

If she had only been more careful… if she had only been… better then it wouldn't have happened, he wouldn't have been harmed.

"You," she murmured as his gaze flickered to the wet grass, "shouldn't be up. You should be resting. You aren't well."

"Keh, this is nothing," he scoffed defiantly, "what's up with you? Why are you out here?"

"_You_ shouldn't be," she rejoined then forced herself to look him in his enchanting golden globes, "it's pouring, you're drenched… that's not good, you're—"

"Not well," he jeered before he took the final step to be under the protection of the Goshinboku tree just like her. For a moment they were so close, almost touching, before she turned a cheek to him and he walked by to lean against the tree as she just had been. With a grunt he slid down to sit, still a hand upon his injured abdomen. "I'm _fine_."

"You don't _look_ fine," she mumbled to herself before she gradually turned around to watch as he shut his eyes and adjusted himself to ease off from his wound. He really didn't look anywhere near fine… she pressed her lips together as she walked over to kneel down next to him, facing towards him, cautiously she lifted a hand up to brush a few soaked strands off his forehead, which caused his eyes to flicker open and lock with hers.

"I'm sorry…" she muttered as she let her hand drop into her lap.

"It's not your fault," he assured.

"Yes, it is," she sighed.

"No, it's not."

"It _is_."

"It's _not_," he growled back.

She almost opened her mouth to continue the useless argument but instead she shook her head and looked away, "whatever…" she knew it was, what else mattered?

"You are such a stupid girl," he muttered to spark a glare from her and a scoff of what a jerk he is.

"Really, though, Inuyasha, I _am_ sor—"

"If you apologize one more time," he grunted, "I'm going to have to hurt you myself. You've been saying it constantly and it's getting on my nerves."

"Like that's hard to do," she mumbled.

"Kagome," he grumbled.

At the risk of heightening his anger and causing him to do something that might hurt himself further she shut up and switched to sitting down beside him with her arms around her legs and her hazels locked upon the furious scene outside their dry haven.

"Inuyasha," she whispered after a while, "I… I don't know what I'd do if something… if you were to… because of me if you were…" she couldn't say it, she dare not even think about it as she shut her stung eyes and pressed her lips together.

His golden gaze glimpsed over to her for a few flickers, each time he meant to say something but never could find the right words until she appeared too gloomy—he had to say _something_. So, cautiously he replied, "And I… don't know what I'd do if I just stood by while something happened to you."

That was a sweet statement, particularly when it came from him, so she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "I suppose we have a problem then, huh?"

He nodded at that.

"How are you feeling?" She meekly inquired as her hazels ventured down to his side opposite to her, the one that would have been completely fine if not _for_ her.

"Fine," he groaned, "stop asking that."

_Almost, _his head almost touched her shoulder but it was obvious he was trying not to do that, so with a sigh and a shake of her head as lifted a hand up to nudge him to rest against her, instantly he tensed up but she didn't say anything and he didn't protest so as the rain fell to a mere drizzle he relaxed against her to shut his eyes once more.

"Would it be better if I weren't… should I not… I mean, you are always getting hurt because of me so maybe… if I weren't," she pursed her lips once more as she tried to bring out the words that plagued her mind so, but she couldn't. The fear was too much—what if he said 'yes'? She could never leave; she never wanted to, she wanted to stay by _his_ side but… but what if by doing that it only put him in more danger? Only got him… killed? Was it worth it then to be selfish like she was?

"Stop your complaining," Inuyasha ordered but in a mere murmur, more because it was apparent he was about to fall asleep then meekness, though.

"I'm _not_ complaining," she retorted, "I'm serious, Inuyasha. This is important."

"You are more helpful than you are a burden; we all trouble each other, Sango and her brother, Miroku and his womanizing, Shippou and his annoyance, so just shut up."

"But—"

"If I wanted you to go, you'd be gone," he stated, "so stop your moping, got it?"

A small smile slipped up her lips at that, she supposed that was the closest to _stay with me_ as she was going to get from the bashful boy but it was enough. "Thanks, Inuyasha."

"Whatever," he muttered back.

"The suns finally coming back out," she whispered when she noticed a few rays gleaming down from the parting clouds. There was no answer, however, so she glanced over him for a moment only to deepen her sweet smile—he had fallen asleep.

Doubt dabbled down on her every once and a while but as long as he was by _her_ side, she'd always find reassurance to carry on until the bitter end, no matter what that might bring them.

* * *

**A/N**: I figured out what the 'loath' part of the title stands for, self-loathing.


	3. Worth It All: PG

**Worth It All**  
Rating: PG (no warnings)  
Genre: Family/Fluff  
LJ: _firsttweak_  
**Prompt**: Sunset  
Universe: Post-Manga  
Words: 300  
**Summary**: _ It had always been the simple things in life that earned her affections. _

* * *

Simplicity sank into the silent scene that unfolded before them; a slight smile crept up her lips as she tilted her head a bit more to rest upon the red clothed shoulder beside her. Fuchsia fused with orange before it faded to purple purged with black. It had always been the small things in life that had caught her affections, the cycle of the sun, the transformation of the moon, and the sparkling stars that illuminated the sky but so much more there.

In her era, her home—no, not anymore, a cringe cascaded through her heart as he shut her eyes—there were glitters in the sky but there the city lights always combated them. Here, her _new_ home they shined brilliantly night after night. The air was crisp and clean, and though the era she had willingly given herself to lacked so many of the convenience she had grown up with it didn't posses a certain something she required to live.

Something that was worth giving up everything and more to have…

A nudge coaxed her gently to open her eyes, her smile still there as she let her hazels meet the golden gaze that had fascinated her from the very start, "hm?"

"Don't fall asleep," her hanyou husband requested with a grin, "I don't want to have to carry you both back."

"As if that would be a problem for you," she mumbled back, her stare shifted down to the sleeping toddler in her lap. Life was not easier in his era—_their_ era—but the simple moments like those made it worth all she had given up.

The warmth that laced her heart each time she watched over her silver haired son sleeping or playing with his father burned brighter than anything she had felt before.


End file.
